


something wider, bigger

by Wildspace



Series: 911 lone star week. [1]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: (well kind of), Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family, M/M, Or Is he?, Pets, TK is the worst at naming pets, no animal was harmed in this story, strays animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23911195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wildspace/pseuds/Wildspace
Summary: How their little family of two became a family of six.(Or, TK keeps bringing strays home, and Carlos can't say no to him.)
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: 911 lone star week. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718455
Comments: 5
Kudos: 111
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star Week





	something wider, bigger

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! :)  
> I finally decide to try to write the boys myself, instead of just reading every damn fics on the tarlos tag. I'm still trying to find the way I want to write them, so I'm sorry if you found them a bit out of character. (And I was planning on writing something for each day, but I keep delaying writing them.) At the exact moment, I only have three of them actually done, so I'm not sure if you will have a work from me every day. Last thing, English isn't my first language, and this is no beta'd so please, don't hesitate to tell me if you saw mistakes, I'll correct them as soon as I can.
> 
> (written for day 1 of Lone Star week.)

It starts with a single cat.

TK comes home after a twenty-four hours shift with a ball of fur hiding under his coat. He looks tired, but happy to see Carlos, and he lets his boyfriend hugged him hello. Except something is meowing two seconds into the embrace, and Carlos steps back immediately while frowning. “TK, what did you do?” The offended look on the younger man’s face is so ridiculous it makes a laugh escaping Carlos’ mouth. His boyfriend is usually a trouble magnet, so he is careful of the situation is going to walk in, but TK doesn’t appear hurt. He lets his frown disappear and watches the other man tugs on the zipper of his coat until _something_ emerges. A cat realizes Carlos a second later. TK takes him out of his hiding place and holds him like he is freaking Rafiki in a Lion King movie. “Put him down,” Carlos immediately says with an amused smile, then continues, “Don’t traumatize him more than you already did.” TK laughs, not at all upset by the comment, but does what he’s asked. The cat starts wandering as soon as his paws touch the ground, and Carlos takes the time to really look at him. It’s a tabby red cat who’s missing an eye, part of an ear, and almost all his tail. He’s obviously gone through a lot in his life, but the way he stands, full of confidence, is a sight for sore eyes. As soon as the cat disappears towards their bedroom, Carlos is turning his eyes on TK, eyebrow raised in a silent question. 

“Carlos, meet Frankenstein. We rescued him from a roof this morning, and the woman who called 911 said he doesn’t belong to anyone,” TK starts explaining to him, taking off his coat to hang it in the closet at the same time. He doesn’t let Carlos say anything or protest, he just keeps on talking. “We were planning on making him the cat of the firehouse, but he doesn’t go along very well with Buttercup.” Frankenstein actually spends the day bullying the dog, but TK isn’t going to let Carlos know that info. He wants his boyfriend to _like_ the cat, after all. “So, I told my dad we would keep him home until we found him a good family.” TK doesn’t say it, but he’s dying to keep Frankenstein forever. He wants someone he can cuddle with when he’s home and Carlos’ working. “You are not mad, are you?” TK ends up asking when the older man doesn’t respond after a silence that seems to last forever. “No, not at all,” Carlos finally answers him. The smile TK is rewarding him with is blinding and full of happiness. “What kind of name is Frankenstein, though?” The firefighter has a cheeky smile on his face, and he replies almost immediately. “Don’t worry, babe, you can call him Franks.” He can’t stop laughing after that, and Carlos’ heart melts just a bit more.

(They end up keeping Frankenstein. Because, _of course_ , they do.)

* * *

It continues with two kittens.

TK brings them home one day when Carlos isn’t back from work yet. It’s been raining for days now, and the sky is almost dark outside when it’s not even five in the afternoon. He just wants to go home, wraps himself in a blanket, and waits for his boyfriend to come home. Turns out, life has over plans for him, because he finds himself on his knees on his way home, looking under a house after hearing a repetitive whine. He is soaked by the rain, and the flashlight of his phone is not the most effective, but he finally sees two small balls of fur, curled around each other. Two dirty kittens who look famished and afraid of him. It takes TK a long amount of coaxing, but he manages to take them both in his hands and back in his car. He spends the two hours buying food for kittens, two news baskets, more toys (because Franks doesn’t look like the sharing type), and trying to clean them so they can be presentable. Making them look less like wild cats and more like fluffy kitties is a take in itself. Between a long day in the rain at work, and fighting with little demons for hours, TK is exhausted. Carlos finds him sleeping on the couch when he finishes work, one of the kittens curled against his back, the other nowhere to be seen.

The visit to the veterinary the next week tells them they got two more boys on their arms, and they are barely above the three months mark. They take them home to Frankenstein who looks at them like he can believe they brought the two little demons home. After that, the kittens spend days without a name because TK and Carlos can’t settle on a name they find fitting for them. Life at home is quite the circus now because they soon found out one of the kittens is full of sass and the other one loves to follow his brother’s example. Every time one of their hands encounter a mouth full of sharp baby kitty teeth, Franks seems to be mocking them from the distance he’s watching them.

(Three months after their arrival, TK names them Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It’s so fitting that even Carlos can’t protest.)

* * *

It ends with a dog.

It’s Carlos’ fault, really. He brought it upon himself when he mentioned a dog to TK a few days ago. They have this thing where they tell each other about their days around breakfast or dinner, so they don’t stay in their heads after a hard day at work. Carlos crawls in the bed after he’s done working his night-shift, sliding his body next to TK’s warm own. TK rolls on his back, and settles himself under his boyfriend’s arms, asking him about his day. That the exact moment, Carlos makes his first mistake; he starts telling the firefighter how he and his partner had to rescue a dog who had been abandoned by his owner. His voice breaks a little when he explains how the dog was attached to an old railroad with a chain, too skinny to look healthy. Upon closer observation, it turns out his fur had been burn on some parts. The dog looked so happy to see them, and Carlos’ heart actually breaks when its tail starts wagging. Dogs are probably the most precious animals in the world in his eyes and he just doesn’t understand how can someone do that to an animal. They ended up taking him back to the car and to a shelter where they know he will not be killed. The dog was whining when Carlos had to leave him behind in one of the pens at the shelter. He must look sad after reliving the memory because TK is moving closer to him to put a kiss on his neck. “It’s okay. You did good, babe. You saved his life.” Carlos’ mouth stretches in a small smile before he finally kisses TK good morning. Today is going to be a good day, he decides. But for now, he curls himself closer to his boyfriend and lets sleep wash over him.

A few weeks after that, Carlos gets a text from TK saying there is a surprise waiting for him at home. He opens the door very carefully once he’s back from work, not sure what to expect from his boyfriend. The suspense lasts barely a second because as soon as the door is closed, _something_ is knocking against his legs. A dog, to be precise. But it’s not just any dog, it’s the one he saved days ago. He looks so much healthier, barking at Carlos with excitement like he’s telling him to lower himself already so he can say hello properly. Carlos falls on his knees, and the dog is on him immediately, trying to lick his face to show his happiness. “Hi, puppy. You’re such a pretty boy now, are you?” The dog is so excited to see him he keeps tripping over Carlos’ knees until TK finally comes in the hallway and his attention switches to the new person in the room. “You liked your surprise?”, TK is asking while petting the dog, “You can’t say no, because the cats have already adopted him.” Carlos laughs at that. “Even Jekyll?” TK nods, as surprised as Carlos is. “Yep, the little dictator gave his permission to keep him, like one hour after I brought him home. He’s probably the one who loves him the most between the three of them.” Of course, he is, because their sassy little demon doesn’t do anything like anyone. “Good, then I guess I have no other choice than to say yes.” TK is hugging him a second later, putting a kiss on the side of his neck. “You know I love you, right?”, is saying TK against his skin, and Carlos just _knows_ his boyfriend. “You already give him a terrible name.” It’s not a question. “What is it?” TK has the decency to look guilty, but he answers anyway. “Toast. I called him Toast. It seems fitting with all he got going on.” He’s making vague movements with his hand, to explain the burned fur on the dog’s body. “TK!”, Carlos yells, fully offended for the _(his)_ dog.

(TK is the worst. But the name stays.)

**Author's Note:**

> (Title is from a quote by C. JoyBell C.)


End file.
